Purity
by Sensei200
Summary: The wall of flesh has been destroyed, and the player now must bring purity to Terraria, and purge the ever growing darkness, blocked only by the hallow. But without a guide, he must rely on his own wits and prowess to overcome the darkness and rid Terraria of the crimson! (Sequel to A Rising Darkness and A hero's game, please read them first.)
1. Chapter 1: Hallowed Grounds

AN: I've decided to write a third in the series. I hope you guys enjoy the third (and maybe final, maybe not!) addition to the series!

Chapter 1: Hallowed Grounds

"Player- you won!" Was the first thing I heard as I entered the village. Everything was as I had left it. Except for the fact that the grass was blue- and the sky seemed brighter, and everyone was happier.  
"Yes, I did. But before I answer any questions, what's going on here?" I asked quizically.  
"When you killed the being, the spirits of light and dark were released. That means that the crimson will be spreading even faster, but now, we have this biome. This is called the hallow. It is the crimson's opposite, and has thankfully ovrerlapped the old patch of crimson, and seems to be bordering every side of our village. That means that we're safe, unless we wander outside the hallow." Dryad explained, glancing around.  
"Do we have any allies protecting the borders- you know, so none of the crimson monsters get in.  
"Well... we do. Kind of. We have some very, very untame unicorns and hateful pixies. I have dealt with this however, and as long as you keep your distance, they won't attack us. They're kind of like honey bees. As long as you leave them alone, they won't mind you. They will, however, attack any kind of monster from the crimson." Dryad said, smiling at the end.  
"Good enough! But I do have a question- where do you think the new patch of crimson is?" I asked, looling around nervously.  
"Well... I don't know. I think it's near the dungeon- east of here." Dryad replied, frowning.  
I walked into guide's house. It was empty. Strangely, there was no body. No sign he was ever there. Not even a burn mark or blood splatter. I found this slightly strange, but continued to look around the house. Suddenly, I noticed a trap door. I opened it, and looked down. There was a ladder, leading somewhere. The tunnel had obviously been dug recently, as there was still fresh dirt, and I would have noticed it beforehand. I climbed down the ladder, and found a narrow hallway- also recently carved out. I walked to the end, and found a door. It was hastily put together. I opened it. Inside was a small, red, alter. It looked disgusting, with eyes popping off of it, and blood dripping down the sides. On stop lay a curious green sword, and a hastily scrabbled note.  
"_Player, if you are reading this, I am gone. This also means that you have won, and have aqcuired a hammer that has the power to smash through the mightiest substances. This alter is one of them. I located this when the crimson first apeared, and have been digging a tunnel to it since you fought skeletron. It is a source of crimson, and must be destroyed. But before you do, place all three of your swords in the small slots in the altar. Then it must be destroyed. This will bless your world with a new ore. Any more that you find must be smashed. One day you will clear out the crimson. But first, these must be destroyed.  
Sincerely,  
Guide.  
_I froze. I did find a rather curious looking hammer, and took it with me. I pulled it out. But then I remembered Guide's instructions. I located the three empty slots, and put each sword in a slot. The dungeon sword, light's bane, the fiery great sword and the green blade all started to glow. Then, I hit the alter with all my might. In a blinding display of light, it vanished. And on the floor, was a long purple blade- larger than my light's bane that is. It had the same shadowy color. My eyes widened and I stared at the blade in awe. It seemed to hold the power of a thousand suns, and seemed almost sharp to the atom. When I picked the blade up, I felt a surge of power. I almost wanted to drop it, but didn't. It was surprisingly light for its size- in fact, it was only slightly heavier than the blue dungeon sword.  
"Now my friends, some of you may have noticed that guide could not be with us, celebrating this day. When I battled the monstrous wall of flesh in the depths of the underworld, guide was killed. His destiny was to be the living sacrifice that summoning this beast called for. Today, I would like you all to honor his death, and remember that I could not get this far without him. I would like you all to remember what he has done for us, and to make sure his death was not in vain. We will purge the crimson, and spread the hallow. We will drive the vile beasts out of our land! And we will not be overcome by the dark times ahead!" I shouted, raising my sword. The whole village had gathered in the middle, to hear what I had to say. Several people cheered, while others only smiled. I did not see one look of disaproval in the crowd.  
"How'd I do?" I asked The Dryad later.  
"Pretty good. I think the last part was a good touch." She replied.  
"Also, without the guide, I will need someone to instruct me. And since you're the most knowlegable one left, I might need your help a bit- particularly on matters concerning the crimson." I said, staring out at the fields of hallow. I knew that the crimson dwelled not to far away.  
"I will do what I can, but you have to remember, guide read dictionaries for fun. I suppose I know a bit more about matters concerning the forces of dark and light- for example, I can tell you that Terraria is currently 20 percent hallow, and 13 percent crimson. Good start- but if you don't keep up the good work, that will quickly change." Dryad said with a hint of malice.  
"Sounds good to me. In the mean time, how about we attempt to clear out a bit of crimson?" I said enthusiasticaly, reaching for my bag of purifcation powder.  
"Sounds good to me. If we ever want to free Terraria of this darkness, we need to get started..." Dryad said, ending on a darkner note. Whatever was to follow, I hoped it would end well.


	2. Chapter 2: Like A Blanket It Spread

AN: Thanks for the review Magus! I'm glad someone enjoys it already! Anyways, here's chapter two!

Chapter 2: Like a Blanket it Spread

"I don't like the looks of this." I stated, looking out at the red field before me.  
"Neither do I. It seems worse than usual." Dryad replied worriedly. As she said that, a beam of yellow liquid came flying towards us. We both moved out of the way as the yellow stream crashed into the rocks where we were just standing.  
"What the-" I exlaimed, as dryad pulled me aside. Another yellow stream hit just where I stood.  
"I don't know, but we have to kill whatever's doing this!" Dryad shouted. We split up and ran towards the forested area where it seemed to be coming from. It seemed to have ceased fire. When we got to the trees, there was nothing in sight. No life. Only a source of infection that seemed to be growing ever closer. Dryad and I exchanged glances. Quickly, she took out a bit of purication powder and sprinkled it at the roots of the trees. The green started to come back, as if it were recovering from a terrible disease. Hope shone in the green grass and leaves. But only for a moment, for the crimson spread over it like a blanket soon after.  
"This is worse Than I thought." I said simply. The writhing leaves seemed to mock our attempt.  
"Maybe it is, but there must be a way to stop it. we'll find it. Soon." The dryad asserted.  
We walked for a few minutes, when we suddenly came upon a small opening. It reminded me of the mouth of a cave.  
"You first." I said, motioning for Dryad to go in. She walked in a few steps, and nothing happened, so I followed. We descended a bit further, and the last light from the already blocked sun disappeared. I lit a torch, and held it in front of me.  
Something told me this was a bad idea.  
We walked a bit further, when I suddenly stumbled and fell. I fell for a few seconds, before landing in a pool of water.  
It smelled and tasted disgusting, but it was somewhat shallow. It went up to my neck.  
"Player!? You ok?" I heard Dryad say, the voice echoing.  
"Yeah, there's water at the bottom. It's safe to jump!" I said, spitting out a bit of water. It tasted like blood- somewhat metalic. It was not a good taste. I managed to drag myself to the edge of the small body of water, and haul myself to the surface. My clothes were drenched.

"Hey, I thought I saw something. Do you see that-" I started, but didn't finish. A spurt of yellow liquid hit me in the chest, and threw me backwards. It burned, worse than anything else. I closed my eyes, and tried to keep my mind on something else, like sweet roles. Or healing potions. I managed to remove a healing potion from my bag, and take a drink of it. It only stopped some of the burning feeling. And I felt particularly weak, like a tiny pebble could cut me. If only I had worn armor! Soon after, another blast came, this one hitting Dryad. I tried to ignore this, and pulled out my bow. As I did, a huge, squidlike creature came into view. I fired an arrow, and hit it in the beak. It gurgled, and fell out of view. It hit the ground with a resounding "Squish!" I smiled and put my bow away. I ran over to dryad, who seemed half conscious.  
"Are you alright?" I asked, concerned.  
"Maybe. Could I have a healing potion?" She choked out, flinching. I handed her a red bottle of healing liquid. I only had eight left. "Thanks!" She muttered, consuming the potion. She managed to stand up after that.  
"That liquid seems to lower the defense. My skin feels particularly weak, and I feel relatively off guard, and less alert." I said, drawing my sword. Dryad nodded, but said nothing.  
We continued onward, and met only a few enemies. These were all easily dealt with. One of these was a strange floating creature, with a brownish white liquid leaking out of a bloated and circular bottem.  
"Dryad! Look at this!" I shouted, turning a corner. On a small patch of rocks, surounded by all types of mutilated and horrible monsters, sat one of those crimson alters. There was no sword, or note on this one. The monsters had not yet noticed us. "Ready?" I asked Dryad. She nodded nervously, taking out the same curious looking blade guide had left me.  
We both ran around the corner, and instantly began slashing at the monsters around us. A few yellow beams immediatly struck near us, but none hit. We made short work of the group, and managed to get to the alter. I took out my hammer, and smashed the alter. In a flash of light, it disapeared. But this one also sent me flying. I crashed into a wall somewhere in the room and slid down. When I hit the ground, My vision was blurry. I had an overpowering urge to sleep, which I gave in to.

"Player? You awake?" I heard Dryad ask, looking down at me. I slowly opened my eyes, and looked up. The cieling above me was wood, and I was laying in the grass.  
"What? What happened? Why am I here?" I asked, still in a daze.  
"The power released from you smashing the alter was enough to render us both unconscious. I woke up before you, obviously, and used the magic mirror. I guess that traveling through time and space woke you up." Dryad replied.  
"Not unusual at all." I retorted, standing up. I brushed myself off.  
"Also, when you destroyed the alter, it turned the area around to hallow. That gives us a point to start purifying the crimson from." She said in a somewhat more posotive voice. Well, now we had a place to start from, and that could prove useful.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was night now. I had decided to sleep in guide's house, since it was now empty. And I felt the strangest feeling. I felt like I was being watched. I felt like I was somehow not alone. Some sort of evil, strange presence hung in the air. I hoped I was imagining things.


	3. Chapter 3: Twin Menaces

AN: Because I'm in a good mood, here's another chapter.

Chapter 3: Twin Menaces

I had just fallen asleep- maybe a minute ago, maybe an hour. But through the blackness of a dreamless sleep, I saw a red light. I slowly opened my eyes. A flash of red light bathed my room in crimson. I closed my eyes again. When I opened them, I saw an eye- no two eyes. They were coated in metal. Flashes of red and green light lit up the grounds around me. I began to close my eyes, but I suddenly felt an unbearably hot fire burning above me. I rolled out of bed, and walked up to the door. When I walked outside, I saw that there was a huge scorched spot on the roof of my house. I ever so slowly turned around. And I shamelessly cried out in fear- two huge eyes, connected by a sparking wire, were hovering over the village, one pelting the houses with lasers, the other summoning gouts of green flame. I drew my sword and flew up on top of guide's house, looking for where the twin menaces had gone. Suddenly, the Goblin Tinkerer's house was bathed in a flash of green flame, and the two eyes flew over the scorched shell. I rushed towards the house, and opened the charred door. The tinkerer and mechanic were both alive, and the inside of the house was surprisingly intact.  
"Dryad! Get the townspeople to safety!" I shouted through the open door. The goblin suddenly shook his head.  
"We'll fight this thing til' it sends us to the underworld!" He shouted, taking out a small pistol like thing. The mechanic nervously agreed, though she noticed she didn't have a weapon. I handed her my bow.  
"Borrow this then. Let's kill this- these things!" I corrected myself.

"Alright guys! We will fight this thing until we send it back to where it came from, or we die trying! Let's show them what we're made of!" I almost said more, but a barrage of lazers hit the ground next to us, and we scattered. Explosive arrows, bullets, and arcane bolts flew towards the eyes, many hitting home. They barely seemed fazed.  
"What does it take to kill this thing!?" The clothier growled, letting a burning skull fly from his hands. Since guide had never used the spellbook, I handed it over to the clothier- since it was rightfully his.  
"I don't know!" I replied, deflecting a lazer bolt with my sword.  
Eventually, the eye that shot fire began to spin, and it seemed to shed its skin. Underneath was a metal plated nightmare, with gaping jaws that spewed fire even more. When it charged at me, I swung my sword at it, which always seemed to do a bit of damage- even if it was just a metal plate knocked off, or a bolt unscrewed. In a matter of time, the fire spewing one began to malfunction, I having cut several of its wires with my sword. Dryad and Demolitionist took this as a chance to fire explosive arrows into some of the intact wires. Eventually, the whole thing powered off, and crashed to the ground. Several more pieces fell off, and it did not move again. Several people cheered. But the other thing was still completely intact. Several lasers flew, and the goblin was struck by two. He gave out a short cry and fell on his side. I growled and flew up to the laser spewing eye. I smashed it in the pupil with my sword. Once, twice. Then I fell, my boots running out of charge. I landed on my back. I groaned in pain, but pulled myself up. The remaining eye shed its damaged disguise as its brother had, but a robotic arm with a red lense on the end extended from the metal shell. Angered, it launched at least twenty lasers per second, scorching everything around it. I flew up and scored a few good hits before falling again, just enough to dislodge a plate. When I landed, it hit me with a few lasers- I couldn't count them before I was knocked unconscious.

"Player! Get up, now!" I heard a voice shout, though it was almost drowned out by fire. I managed to pull myself to my feet.  
"We can't kill it!" I heard demolitionist shout, firing another explosive arrow at the eye. It missed anything important. I struggled to stay standing, the burning feeling of the lazers giving off a great amount of pain. I readied a grenade, and threw it at the eye. The explosion must have hit something important, because the lazers suddenly stopped firing. The robotic arm went limp and fell off. Enraged, the eye charged towards me. I rolled out of the way, but dryad and arms dealer were caught and thrown off their feet. I threw a grenade at the patch of wires where the arm and lense were. The explosion shook the being, and most of the top blew off in a fiery explosion. But the thing would not give in. Now spinning madly and making high pitched screeching noises, it made several attempts to squish the remaining villagers, but failed.

When it finally died, several minutes later, it simply exploded. It could not take any more hits. And I could barely stand anymore. What was left of my clothes was tattered and scorched, and my skin was burned in several places. I looked around me. Everyone seemed to have gotten back up, except goblin tinkerer. He was still laying on his side, completely limp. The mechanic was standing over him, her eyes brimming with tears. The nurse quickly rushed over and began examining him.  
"Calm yourself Mechanic. He'll be fine." nurse said, wearing an enthusiastic grin.  
"So... what in holy heck was that?" I asked, looking over at Dryad.


	4. Chapter 4: Summerset Woods

AN: Sorry for the long wait. I've been busy working to slay some nasty rule breaking stories...

Chapter 4: Summerset Woods

"Those were two of the most dangerous machines ever built. I guess they must have gone haywire..." Dryad said in a state of complete shock.  
"Haywire?" I inquired, "So they weren't always evil?"  
"No, not at all. They were built to defend Terraria from the crimson should it ever be released. I guess the spirit of dark must have corrupted their AI. Steampunker didn't think about that." Dryad explained, staring at the mechanical heaps.  
"Steampunker?" I asked, still confused.  
"Steampunker is a mechanic who works with brass and all things steam powered. She's famous around Terraria for inovating the three strongest- and, depending on who you ask, most flawless robots ever built. But the one thing she forgot is that robots are hackable, no matter how well the AI is designed. And if I'm correct, There are two more out there, probably corrupt." She answered worriedly.  
"Those being?" I asked simply. Dryad sighed.  
"Skeletron Prime and The Destroyer. Skeletron Prime's build mimics that of the demon, Skeletron's. For the destroyer, imagine this: The eater of worlds, made of hallowed bars and steel, five times longer, unsplittable, immune to all ill effects and shooting lasers. Also, it releases probes that are built for the sole purpose of gunning down anyone trying to oppose it." She retorted. I frowned and hoped that it would be a while before I faced them. Then came my last question,  
"Hallowed bars?" I asked. The dryad smiled.  
"The essence of the hallow. The strongest material on terraria. It's what that hammer of yours is made of. Speaking of, see if you can't pry some hallowed metal loose from the laser firing eye's remains." Dryad said enthusiastically.

"Good! That's probably twenty bars worth of it! Unfortunately, you can't start crafting with it until you have a mythril anvil. We'll get to that later. In the mean time, I say you need some new armor. Silver simply won't do!" The dryad said, looking at the haul of hallowed metal I had gathered.  
"I have some palladium armor from... centuries ago. It was the armor that the first hero of Terraria wore when he banished the spirit of darkness and restored the hallow. He carried the legendary Terra blade, which has since been broken to pieces. Maybe one day you can restore it. But not today." The dryad added. I smiled.  
"So, where is it?" I asked eagerly.  
"My homeland. Summerset Woods." She said, barely containing her excitement.  
"So be it. I say we set off." I said.  
"You might want to see clothier first. Torn clothes are bound to get caught on the branches!" Dryad reminded me. I nodded and went to see the clothier.

"Ready? Good." Dryad said, answering her own question. I nodded. And with that, we set off. We headed west- I had never explored that way. We walked until night fell. We decided it was best to set up a camp.  
"I've never been over here!" I said, admiring the scenery. We were in a mountainous area, full of rocky fields. Some small ponds dotted a few flat spots. There were only a few trees, all of which were very short. We decided to make a fire near the edge of one of the larger ponds, that dropped off in a waterfall. The moon was begining to rise, and we needed shelter, so I constructed three walls and a roof. I left the side facing the lake open. I had enough silk to make a large but thin sheet, Which we used as a blanket.  
"This place is one of the few places that hasn't changed since I was last here. It truly is a place to admire." The dryad said. I silently agreed.  
"So how close are we to Summerset Woods?" I asked, changing the subject.  
"We're about half way there. You can't see the woods from here, though they are generally near." She replied. After that we stayed silent, and eventually fell asleep.

When I woke up in the morning, I felt surprisingly well rested. Not much had changed. The fire had died down, and the sun had risen. It was somewhat cold, even with the sun. I yawned and stood up, blinking several times.  
"You're finally awake. It's about time. Come on, let's get going!" I heard Dryad say. I looked in the direction. Dryad was sitting on a rock about thirteen feet away.  
"Alright, alright! Let's get going." I muttered. We set off again, avoiding any drop offs. Eventually, A large wood archway came into view, surrounded by the tallest trees I had ever seen. I stared at the entrance.  
"This is my homeland. Summerset woods, home of the heroes." Dryad said. "Quite a scene, isn't it." I nodded.

When we finally reached the entrance, I found that it was surprisingly well lit. Wooden lanterns with a strange blue light in the middle served as torches. Two people with pointed ears guarded the entrance. They wore a strange green armor, and carried large red spears.  
"Halt! By what right do you seek entrance?" They asked in perfect unison.  
"By right of birth, I am the dryad!" The dryad said. They bowed and let her past.  
"By right of glory, I am the slayer of the wall of flesh!" I replied. They Hesitated, then let me past. They did not bow. I slowly walked through, looking at the scene before me.


	5. Chapter 5: Logrolf

Chapter 5: Logrolf

"Wow... this place is amazing!" I muttered, looking around. Dryad nodded proudly.

"This is where the heroes of Terraria have trained and settled down all these years. We're not only here for armor. There are others who have been fighting against darkness. None have yet defeated the wall of flesh. It was where the spirit of dark trapped the spirit of light and itself, so no one could defeat him. You are the first to have fought it, and you slew it."

I blinked and stayed silent.

We walked deeper into the forest, and saw many houses. Tall, pointy eared types walked the road, carrying baskets with flowers and fruits.

"Who are those?" I asked dazily.

"Elves. Peaceful gardeners usually, but great rangers and swordsmen," The dryad replied. Eventually, we came upon a large wooden house, with a brick chimney. A welcome sign was posted on the front. Dryad knocked. The door opened a few seconds later.

"Hello Dryad! Nice to see you again! And who's this you have with you?" The man who opened the door asked, a large smile on his face. He looked very young, a little older than me. He had long brown hair, and was a bit taller than me. He wore green robes.

We walked in.

"This is Player. He has another name but he can't remember it." Dryad said, pointing at me.

"Ah. The player of an impossible game I suppose. Why is it that you bring him?" The man asked. I almost wanted to ask him who he was, but I refrained.

"He is the slayer of the wall of flesh, Eye of Cthulu, Eater of Worlds and The twins. He has saved my life several times now," Dryad replied. Logrolf began to smile, but then raised an eyebrow.

"Why would he destroy the twins?" He asked.

"Logrolf... They went haywire. This worries me, since there's still two more out there," Dryad said, concern dripping from her words. So his name was Logrolf.

"Gods above! We need to get our troops ready! The destroyer is stationed near here!" Logrolf exclaimed, his eyes widening.

"Calm down. If my studies prove correct, we still have a few days before he wakes up," Dryad replied in an attempt to calm him. He seemed to become a bit calmer.

"Well, I suppose you're here to get him the armor. Let's not delay." Logrolf said, then hesitated. "I'm sorry that your first impression of Summerset Woods isn't the best player. I've lived here for almost two hundred years, and we have never been this rushed and busy. But the return of a hero... that must mean something greater. I'm one of the last heroes. Most of them are long gone, killed by the corruption." Logrolf said. When I heard "two hundred years," I looked at him quizzically.

"He's an elf. Elves live forever." Dryad explained. Logrolf nodded.

"This is some of the most powerful and old armor in existence. It is the only gift I can give you equal in value to the Terra Blade and the steam wings." Logrolf said, opening a large, wooden chest. Inside was an orange colored armor that sparkled in the light. It was plated and jointed, and the helmet had a large black plume on the top. I picked up the helmet and placed it on my head. It fit perfectly, and I suddenly felt stronger. I put on the chestplate, leggings and finally the boots. They all fit nearly perfectly. The armor seemed to increase my physical abilities, as I felt stronger wearing it. "This armor will increase the damage you do with your sword by a great deal. You can run faster with it, and when you hit an enemy, you absorb some of its life force and heal yourself with it. Be warned, however, you have to be wearing the whole set for any of these perks to function correctly," Logrolf said. I smiled.

"So what are the steam wings?" I asked. He opened another chest. Inside was a pair of large, metal plated wings.

"These wings will allow flight for an extended period. You also won't take any damage from falling anymore. They attach to the back of your armor." Logrolf said, taking the wings out. He handed them to me. After a bit of fumbling around, I attached the wings to my back.

"And the Terra Blade?" I asked rhetorically. He shook his head.

"That's for you to make," He said simply. I thanked him, and opened the door. Suddenly, Dryad turned arround.

"Logrolf... Will you follow us into battle once more? I know you haven't forgotten your training. Logrolf thought for a moment.

"Let me... Let me think about it. For now, feel welcome to wander around Summerset," Logrolf said, frowning. We walked outside, and Logrolf carefully shut the door behind him. Suddenly, I remembered my wings. I didn't have any idea how to use them.

"Dryad, how do I use these dang things?" I asked, tugging at one of the wings. Dryad laughed.

"There's a little brass lever, attached to a string. Give it a Tug," Dryad replied. I pulled the brass lever. The wings began to flap quickly. Startled, I jumped a bit. This brought me in the air, though I fell quickly. I felt as if I fell on a cushion. "Once you get in the air, pull it over and over. This will let you keep rising." Dryad said. I experimented. I flew almost two hundred feet in the air before my wings suddenly wouldn't flap. I gulped and let go. I went plummeting to the ground. I closed my eyes. When I hit the ground, nothing happened. Nothing. I just felt a small pain in my legs. I opened my eyes.

"Why am I alive?" I inquired.

"You don't take fall damage when wearing those." Dryad said, trying not to laugh. I huffed indignantly.

"Hey, I'm still getting the hang of it!" I muttered.


	6. Chapter 6: Destroyer

Chapter 6: Destroyer!

"Dryad... you said that the destroyer would awake tonight," I said, concerned. Dryad did not respond. We were walking down the cobblestone road, and all arround us, elves with bows and swords stood ready.  
"I did. And we will be ready." Dryad said. I was wearing my armor and wings (which I had gotten the hang of.) I held my sword firmly in my right hand.  
The moon rose, and as it did, an Earth Shattering roar shook the sky. "I was right." Dryad said grimly. Everyone I saw readied their bows or swords. A silence hung over the forest like a blanket. Then, out of nowhere, a giant metal worm burst from the ground, ripping out many trees. Hundreds of arrows were loosed at once, though they simply glanced off.  
The head of the beast was like nothing I had ever seen. The several eyes glowed a dark crimson, and two laser cannons were positioned on either side of the head. The mouth was just a gaping hole filled with spinning saw blades and spikes. The beast was segmented, made up of a couple hundred fifteen by fifteen foot metal rings. Red venom dripped from the mouth, and the head cannons began to open fire. Suddenly, Hundreds of red lights- almost as large as the eyes- turned on. They were all over its back. They began to spew lazers as well. I ran for cover, the dryad following. The beast then dove back into the ground, the back still firing lazers. I saw many elves falling to the ground, dead or dying. They began to scatter. The worm roared again and jumped back out, crushing several houses. I flew over and began to slice at it. Oil and gasoline spilled from the cuts I made. It swerved around and headed straight for me. I pulled out a grenade and threw it into the beast's mouth. It tried to saw it to pieces, but it exploded in his mouth. Enraged, it dove back into the ground. I absorbed some of its health. Suddenly, the floor exploded from under my feet, and I was dropped in the mouth. I managed to fly out before I was sawed to pieces, though I was injured. Blood spilled out of several cuts in my armor. When I landed, I collapsed on the ground. I managed to consume a healing potion, which sealed a couple of the wounds. It still hurt. I took flight again, and barely dodged the mouth of the destroyer. It fired a few lazers at me, though only one or two hit. I flew down, cringing as I watched one of the elves with red spears be cut down by the mouth saws. I landed next to him. He was bleeding heavily. I handed him a healing potion, which he quickly consumed. I dragged him over to a tree.  
"You alright?" I asked. He nodded, obviously in pain.  
"I'll make sure to bow next time." He said. I patted him on the shoulder and went out to fight the beast. Some of the trees had caught fire from the lazers, to the dismay of many elves. I saw several firing water bolts at the fires, trying to keep it under control. The worm smashed through the ground again, letting out a terrifying shriek. I swung my sword at the head, chopping of one of the cannons. It swerved, hitting me with its segmented side. I flew backwards, only to find myself looped around. It fired lazers at me, many of which hit. I then noticed that he was looping over me, preventing escape. I was inside a ball of metal, which was shooting lazers. I dodged left and right, blocking a few lazers but eventually falling. I tried to get up, but found the burning feeling too much to overcome. I snarled and swung my oiloil. I continued, causing the worm to give up and seek easier prey. As it left me, I fell on my back, unable to even kneel. Fire was all around me, from all the lazers that hit the now dried and burnt grass. I managed to roll over, and crawl towards one of the undamaged houses. An elf noticed me, and tried to help me up. I then realised that I was carrying plenty of life force, which I released. This healed many of my wounds. I managed to stand up. I drank another healing potion. The elf next to me suddenly keeled over, burnt to a crisp. I snarled and ran forwards, ignoring the fire I was stepping in. I saw Dryad lying on the ground, and another one of the spearmen lying next to her. Dryad had several burn marks on her chest, and some of the vines she was wearing were blackened. The guard elf was clearly dead, his arms and one of his legs missing. His armor was nearly shredded. I stood my ground, looking at the damaged worm. It charged towards me, and I jammed my sword in its mouth. It stopped moving. I pulled the sword out and smashed it on the head. It began to stop buzzing and humming, the red lights turning off. The piece connecting the head and body sparked, and suddenly exploded. The eyes sparked and shut off. The head rolled away.  
Suddenly, all of the lights cracked. Then, they all exploded at once and hundreds of small metal orbs popped out, firing lazers everywhere. I picked up the red spear, and began stabbing at them. I noticed that one stab was often enough to overcome their circuits. After a few minutes, we destroyed them too.  
I stared through the wreckage, eyes wide. I saw almost a hundred dead bodies littering the area. Suddenly, I saw logrolf run up to me.  
"Player! You're alive! I thought for sure I'd find you face down in the dirt," he said happily.  
"Yes, I am. I don't know if Dryad is though." I said, eyeing Dryad's body.


	7. Chapter 7: Mourning Never Comes

AN: Sorry guys, I haven't written in a while. I've been busy with my work over at Critics United (If you don't know what that is, go check out the forums before you start agreeing with the public hate we get.) Well, here's chapter 7, and, as always, please leave a review telling me what you think.

Chapter 7: Mourning never comes

"No... This can't be- Dryad isn't supposed to be able to be killed by hallowed creations..." Logrolf choked, kneeling over Dryad. I bit my lip and sat next to him. I put my hand on her neck. She was breathing, but bairly. We stayed silent. The silence was broken when Dryad coughed a bit, much to my relief. Her eyes opened.  
"Player... I have much to say but so little time. Now listen well." Dryad wheezed. Tears welled up in my eyes.  
"No! You- You'll fine Dryad!" I struggled out, trying to stay calm. Dryad coughed again.  
"My time has come Player. Do not try to save me. Do not interrupt me again." Dryad managed to say between coughs. I hung my head and listened.  
"Player, you must be the one to kill the lord of Darkness. You must strike the killing blow. And to kill him, I have to die." Dryad said gravely.  
"But- no! What do you mean!?" I cried, overwhelmed.  
"The energies in the world must be balanced. Without light there is no dark, but with no dark, there is unfortunately not light. My death is necessary to keep Terraria from crashing down on itself." Dryad said weakly.  
"But without you, the world will be unbalanced. There will be no light!" I said, trying to make a point.  
"That is where you are wrong. You are the balance. You are aligned towards light , but there is enough darkness in you to keep the world spinning. That means that If you and I were alive, There would be too much light when the Spirit of Darkness was destroyed. But with only you alive, The forces will be in balance." Dryad replied, her voice getting weaker and weaker.  
"But what about the spirit of light?" I asked forlornly. Dryad looked up, and tears began to form in her eyes.  
"I am the spirit of light. When you destroyed the wall of flesh, you did not release the spirit of light. You released the hallow. I didn't want to tell you yet, but I have no choice." Dryad said. I looked at weakly.  
"I wish you didn't have to die." I said simply.  
"So do I. So does everyone. Now promise me that you will slay the spirit of Darkness in my name." Dryad said in a voice almost as strong as before the destroyer doomed her.  
"I promise I will cleanse Terraria of the pestilence that is the Spirit of Darkness in your name Dryad." I said resolutely. Dryad smiled.  
"Thank you. Goodbye now, _Vald." _Dryad said. Her eyes closed and her head slumped back. As I heard that name, my memory welcomed it like a favored guest. That was my name, the one thing I had forgotten. The combination of remembrance of my own name, and realization that the Dryad was dead was just too much. I fell on top of Dryad and sobbed. Logrolf put a hand on my shoulder.  
"I know this is hard for you Vald. It's hard for me too. I've known Dryad for nearly three hundred years, and I just saw her for the first time in... a while. But we have a task to do, and mourning doesn't help." Logrolf said gently. I sniffed and stood up.  
"You're right. Dryad was my favorite person in Terraria, but I can survive. Terraria will be cleansed, and the light restored." I said. Logrolf seemed surprised for a moment but quickly smiled.  
"Good. Let's get back to that village of yours." Logrolf said, "I have no reason left to live in this place anymore." I smiled at this. Two heroes fighting side by side. Mourning really never comes.

AN: Nope, my name isn't Vald, for those who wondered. That's just a name I came across in an abandoned chapter where the player learns his name and has his first blood moon. I liked the sound it had and placed it here. Writing this chapter was a little hard on me, as Dryad is my favorite NPC. Poor Dryad! Again, please leave a review telling me what you think.


	8. Chapter 8: Steam and Gears

Chapter 8: Steam and Gears

After the long walk home, I was positively exhausted. Logrolf didn't seem to ever run out of energy, which I guessed had something to do with his lengthened life span.  
"Player! Nice to see you!" Mechanic said when I walked to the center of the village.  
"My name is Vald. I found that out yesterday." I said sullenly.  
"Apparently, you also found some shiny new armor and cool looking wings. And a new friend to boot?" Mechanic joked.  
"And I lost Dryad on the way." I muttered. Mechanic stayed silent. After a long pause, Logrolf finally said,  
"Player, I thought you told me most of your village was destroyed by the twins!" I rolled me eyes.  
"Well then, I guess they fixed it!" I retorted. Logrolf muttered something ineligible under his breath. All of the houses had been restored to their former "glory" and I even saw a new one.  
"Mechanic, who occupies the new house?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"The Steampunker. She works with steam and gears. Pretty typical if you ask me." Mechanic muttered. I nodded.  
"Well, I guess I should go check on everybody. Good day!" I said, turning around. Mechanic nodded and walked away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
I walked into Dryad's abandoned house, holding up a torch. Most of the plants had either wilted or overgrown. Dust had gathered on the table and chairs. The star in a bottle had fallen off the table, and the star lay gleaming on the ground. The whole place had a creepy atmosphere. But I was looking for something. I looked under the table and noticed a lose board. I pried it up and it gave way. I peered into the small hole. Two slips of paper lay on the ground. One of them showed a bag of purification powder, and some alchemy ingredients and numbers. The other showed a bottle of light blue water, capped off with a golden cross. It had a similarly written list of ingredients. I silently cheered- Without Dryad, I would have to make my own purification powder- and whatever the bottle of water was. I swept the papers up and into my pocket, smiling cheerfully.  
When I walked out of the abandoned house, I headed towards this new "Steampunker's" house. When I walked in, I saw a tall female figure bent over a box of gears and metal bars. The walls were plated with brass decorated with various strange contraptions. The smell of oil hung in the air. It reminded me of a car repair shop. She was cursing muttering threats at the box- or maybe its contents. Suddenly, she went silent. Then, without warning, something shot out of the chest, and landed on the ground next to her. It made incoherent muttering sounds and menacingly held up two blades. It looked rather comical, considering it was only twelve inches tall. It puffed a cloud of steam, and rolled forward on two hidden wheels. When it reached the highly amused steampunker, it began swinging its blades at her. She quickly backed up, grabbing a wrench. She whacked it on the head and it fell back, its fragile neck slightly bent by the blow. She shook her head and picked the malfunctioning thing up. She pressed a button on the back, and it curled into a perfect ball.  
"What the heck was that?" I asked. Steampunker laughed.  
"That's a robot I've been working on. The blooming contraption won't listen to me." The steampunker said, putting it back in the box.  
"So, you're the one who created the twins and the destroyer?" I asked. She nodded.  
"That's me. It's bloody shame you had to disassemble them. Those were my greatest pieces of work!" Steampunker whined. She had a heavy British accent, which seemed a bit exaggerated.  
"Do you sell anything that might be of use?" I asked.  
"Now that's the real question, isn't it? Because honestly, what good would I be if I didn't sell anything useful? Well, I suppose that a jetpack won't be of any use- you've got those fancy wings there- but maybe a tool with which you could cleanse and contaminate entire biomes?" Steampunker replied cheerfully. I reached for my pockets.  
"How much?" I asked.  
"Two platinum coins." Steampunker said, holding out her hand. I gaped at her.  
"No way! You've got to be kidding me!" I cried.  
"Nope. I'm not kidding you. It took me ten years to assemble." She said sternly. I turned away.  
"Fine. But I will have it for free if the time comes. You are living here only because I let you. Got it?" I vented.  
"Heard you loud and clear, bossy." Steampunker mocked. I snarled and slammed the door.

"Gather around friends, one and all." I said. It had been an hour since I had visited the steampunker, and the whole village was gathered around me in a circle.  
"While I was gone, as many of you know, another one of our residents has been killed. Today we are here to honor the bravery of our good friend, The Dryad." I said, slightly flinching.  
"Another one bites the dust." The arms dealer said through clenched teeth. I nodded sadly.  
"Dryad has helped us all in more ways than you can imagine. It is by her bravery and intelligence that we stand here today, united as a village. The crimson would have overtaken us if not for her purifying powder, and her bravery in battle has helped us end the Twins, the brain of Cthulhu, and the one that ended her, the Destroyer." I said, putting my hand on my sword hilt.  
"But we shall not let this death go in vain! We shall bring an end to the crimson, and send all of the monsters that dwell there to oblivion!" I cried, raising my sword. "Will you fight with me to destroy the crimson and restore the peace? Will you be with me until the bitter end?" I asked, looking around at the circle of supporters. They all solemly agreed. So it was settled- we were going to bring war to the crimson!


	9. Chapter 9: First Confrontation

AN: Thanks for all the reviews guys! It really means alot.

Chapter 9: First Confrontation.

I walked through the red grass of the crimson, covered in blood. My sword had been used more than once. The diseased trees seemed to point accusingly at me, commanding me to leave. Even the grass seemed to hate me, writhing in dissaproval and squirting blood. I hated this place, but I trudged on. I had to smash another crimson alter.  
"Die already!" I shouted, slamming my sword on the head of a diseased bird. I whacked it again and ripped the whole front half off, causing it to buzz to the ground, blood squirting everywhere. I was in the middle of a red stoned cave, corrupt animals all around me. I had my hammer at my belt, and I was ready to use it. I flew up a few levels, and suddenly saw a red glint. I ran towards it. It was a crimson alter. I approached it, and drew my hallowed hammer. As I raised it, there was a purple glow, and guide appeared in front of me. He had a purple glow around him. I drew back in shock.  
"Guide, what are you doing here!? I thought you were dead!" I said, happy to the point of tears.  
"You were mistaken." He said coldly. He didn't seem like himself.  
"You seem a bit strange guide." I said suspiciously. Suddenly, the purple glow disappeared.  
"Help!" The guide cried, in his regular voice, sinking to the ground. The glow quickly returned, and he snapped up. My eyes were wide with horror.  
"You aren't guide!" I said weakly. He laughed twistedly. Suddenly, the purple glow intensified and the guide conjured a glowing blade into his hand. He swung at me with surprising aim, but I deflected it. He struck with inhuman strength. I drew back, my arm throbbing. I growled and slashed at his stomach- I hit, and guide- or his impersonation- fell to the ground. Guide suddenly lost his purple aura, and a strange, twisted red light rose from him, and flitted across the cave. My heart was racing, and I had no idea was was going on. I sank to the ground next to the guide, and helped him up. He seemed dizzy and disoriented.  
"That wasn't me you were fighting." He coughed, clutching his stomach. He managed to stay standing.  
"What happened then?" I asked, bewildered. I was overjoyed.  
"That was the spirit of darkness. When you thought you killed me, you simply handed my soul over to the spirit of darkness. He has been using me to wreak havoc- he used my knowledge to send the twins and the destroyer haywire. He forced it from me, and inhabited my very mind, gaining all my knowledge. Trust me, I had no idea what I was bargaining for when I told you to use that voodoo dole." Guide said, flinching several times, "But thank the great deity Redigit, for I have no further use to him. I know not who is his next target, but we must be wary. Come now player, let us destroy this crimson alter and flee this horrible place." Guide said wearily, grabbing my hand.  
"My name is Vald Guide. Dryad revealed it." I said, sadness in my voice.  
"I knew this, but I did not know you knew. I did not know you were ready, but if Dryad thinks it is time, I will not argue. Speaking of, you seem sad. What is it?" Guide said, slightly bewildered.  
"It is nothing." I said gravely. Guide opened his mouth but didn't speak. I raised my hammer and, in one stroke, smashed the crimson alter to pieces. It did not explode as I expected it to. It simply fell apart, revealing a green blade, with rusted iron coils wrapped around it. It had no hilt, and it seemed dull. Guide simply stared.  
"Player, that is the blade of the legendary sword of terra. Bring it back to Dryad, she knows how to fix it." Guide said excitedly.  
"Guide... Dryad lies dead along with most of Summerset woods. Logrolf will have to tell me." I said, bowing my head in sadness. I had a feeling Guide knew who Logrolf was.  
"Wha- I- I'm sorry pl- Vald. These are dark times indeed. I so wish I could have said goodbye to her. We have been- close friends- for a long time. She would have been comforted if I was there. I'm sorry." Guide said, though he did not seem very surprised. He had a distinct sadness in his eyes though, one that I had never seen. I wrapped my arm around him.  
"She would be content to see you standing here today, leading me through this time of darkness. Do not feel that you failed in anything." I said. Guide seemed surprised by my response.  
"You've learned a lot since we last met Vald. You have learned well. And now, you shall learn once again, as we guide each other through this." Guide said, smiling.

AN: I got a review suggesting this in one of my other stories, and I just had to do it. Because, let's admit it, hardmode would be impossible without our trusty guide to help us! (Or the wiki...)


	10. Chapter 10: Skeletron Prime

AN: I'm going on vacation in a few days and, as such, won't be able to write. It isn't too long, but it marks the end of my summer vacation, and the starting of school. Sorry for all these inconviences, but I managed to grind out this chapter for you. Enjoy!

Chapter 10: Skeletron Prime

"Gather around one and all, and welcome back our friend, the guide. While we thought he was dead, the spirit of darkness used him to bring destruction and death. He has lost his greatest weapon, and now he will be fighting like the cornered rat he is. We've smashed two of the three crimson alters, and destroyed two of his three mechanical menaces. Tonight, he will most certainly try to finish us, but we will prevail. I tell you now, one and all, please evacuate the village. Go as far away from it as you can, and don't come back until the morning. I do not want the death of any more of you! Guide, Logrolf and I will deal with the threat!" I said confidently. I was sugarcoating the truth- the spirit of darkness no longer needed guide.  
"How do you know that there are only three?" The guide asked curiously. The crowd had just dispersed.  
"Dryad told me a few days before she died. The last one will be harder to locate." I replied. I looked at the ground and sighed.  
"It's alright Vald. There was nothing you could do." Guide said, forcing a smile. I wanted to argue, but instead forced myself to nod. Now wasn't the time for drama.  
"She also said that the night after I destroyed the crimson alter, Skeletron prime would most likely be sent to kill us in a last ditch attempt to keep the last crimson alter safe. Be ready." I said, trying to act confident. As I walked away, Logrolf ran up to me, wearing a full set of sparkling green armor. He had a sword decorated with the same patterns as my hammer hanging by his side by a small strap, rather than a sheath. "What is that sword you have?" I asked instantly.  
"This is the blade I used during the great war. It is called Excalibur. It's made of hallowed bars, and it was the most feared blade during the war. It is powered by the blood of the corrupt, and I helped the first hero of Terraria defeat the corruption using it." Logrolf said grimly.

I stood on the edge of the cliff, looking over at the fields of hallow. A few unicorns and pixies roamed around, and the moon began to rise. Guide and Logrolf stood on either side of me, both with swords at the ready. We would be ready for the attack of skeletron prime.  
Suddenly, I heard an ear splitting roar, and I instantly activated my wings and flew to the village, Logrolf and Guide following close behind.  
"This is what you've been trained for Logrolf. I trust you haven't forgotten your training." Guide said darkly. Guide didn't seem like the same Guide I knew when he was around Logrolf.  
"I've been trained in every type of combat by the Dryad and the elves of Summerset, home of the warriors. I don't easily forget something like that." Logrolf said, evidently offended. Guide sighed and turned to me.  
"Vald, you've got a mechanical demon to beat down. Fight well, and try not to get yourself killed. I can't possibly deal with all these crazy villagers by myself." Guide joked. I drew my sword and nodded. Logrolf pulled the his blade from its sheath, and swung it at an invisible oponent a few times. Satisfied, he held it by his side. Guide had his diamond plated Muramassa, which I then noticed looked suspiciously like the dungeon sword I had used when I created Night's edge. We stared at the hills, and as the last beams of light were washed away, the demonic horror's red eyes shone from miles away. It was like nothing I had ever seen. The skull was made entirely of metal, its red eyes casting an eerie glow over the entirety of it. The jaw snapped open and shut, and it cackled evily, its four gigantic arms swinging madly. One arm had a huge metal hand on the end, with twitching fingers, all of which crackled with electricity. Another had a large metal cannon on the end, which glowed with red energy. The third was also armed with a cannon, though this one was shorter and was evidently made to launch something. The last one, the most chilling of the four was a _gigantic_ hack saw, covered in dried blood. It looked sharp enough to cut through every metal I could think of, and large enough to cut through an entire house with one stroke. Logrolf launched himself forward quicker than I could follow, and leapt up to meet the beast. The hacksaw was swung towards him, and I watched in terror as he rose his blade. But as the saw hit his sword, _he _pushed it back, at the same time climbing higher onto the beast's head. He smashed his sword into its head, and clung onto it. Suddenly, it began to spin, and spikes shot out from the skull. Logrolf was flung off, minus his sword, which was still imbedded in the skull. He hit the ground face first. I ran over to him, concerned. Guide followed.  
"Logrolf! Are you alright?" I asked, holding out my hand. He coughed and stood up, ignoring me.  
"I'm fine. Give me a bow." He said angrily. I handed him my silver bow and a quiver of arrows. With inhuman aim, he knocked the sword from the beast's skull on the first shot, and darted over to catch it. Rather than admire his cleverness, I flew up to the skull and landed on one of the arms. Unfortunately, it was the electric one. A burning pain shot through my legs and all the way through me. I managed to stay conscious, and cut off the hand in a single stroke. A large explosion threw me off, and I managed to activate my wings and fly out of reach of his saw. He cackled again, and I noticed he had the glowing cannon aimed at me. I jumped to the side just in time to dodge a long barrage of red lasers. I sighed with relief, but quickly noticed a spinning red orb flying towards me. Out of instinct, I whacked it with my sword. The result was about the same as hitting a primed grenade with a tennis racket. It hurtled backwards, and exploded in a cascade of fire against Skeletron Prime's face. He charged forwards, and a red light on the strange bomb launcher began to light up. Guide ran forwards, standing by me. Suddenly, it lunged towards us, and let out a huge torrent of flame. My armor would have saved me, but he centered it... on Guide.  
Guide held up his sword and I watched with horror as a large amount of flame smashed into him. But as the fire faded, he stood still, holding his sword with both hands. He later told me that it felt like being thrown in a microwave.  
"Guide!? How did you survive that?" I asked, astonished.  
"Muramassa is made of enchanted cobalt. It's power is based around water, and so the fire curved around it." Guide said, quickly diving to the side to avoid a fiery bomb. It exploded next to him, and we were seperated by a wall of flame. Suddenly, Skeletron prime turned around. The back of his head was now riddled with tiny holes. I stared at the source- there stood the arms dealer, holding his half shark and half machine gun with both hands. He had a large smile on his face. He waved, then unleashed another barrage of bullets, this time into the monster's gaping jaw. It quickly slammed shut and charged towards him. There was no fear on his face as the saw slammed into his side, and he sunk to the ground. I cried out something, but it couldn't be heard over the roar of flames. But quickly, all of my horror and sadness turned to pure rage. I flew towards the skull, and slammed my sword into its eye. I pulled it out and stabbed again, tearing out several large wires. The eye lense cracked, and a huge red ball fell from the socket and exploded on the ground, sending fire and sparks everywhere. It roared and spun around, spikes shooting out. My armor dented, but I ignored it. I grabbed a grenade and popped it through the empty eye socket, and watched with satisfaction as fire shot out of every hole in the skull. Sparks and fire poured out of the empty eye socket like water, and it would have roared if the speakers weren't broken. It instead let out a broken crackle, and shook me off. It spun once more, and only some of the spikes came out of the head, tongues of fire coming out of several of the holes. The one eye that was left was flickering, and its incoherent crackling were somehow enough to make me hesitate. I shook my head and flew towards it, Logrolf following behind me. The laser arm suddenly exploded, and I saw Guide, standing on top of a flaming mound of wood and dirt, holding a bow and torch. The fire arrow must have lit some gasoline and caused the arm to combust. I Skeletron Prime then stopped crackling, and it simply stared, gasoline leaking from the bottom. I stared back into its broken eye, and it suddenly looked around. It looked... confused?  
"What's going on?" I whispered to Logrolf. He didn't answer. I turned around. He was straining against something, his hand held out as if pushing against a wall. Suddenly, as thin beam of blue light shot from his hand, and through the empty eye socket. Its eye stopped flickering, and suddenly began to glow green. It slowly sunk down, and landed next to Logrolf. Its arms sagged down, and I was starting to wonder what was going on.  
"What just happened?" I asked, mistified.  
"We were never going to destroy it, and I had no intention of doing so. I was just unclogging its A.I. Now, if we return it to the steampunker to have it fixed, we'll have ourselves another soldier to fight against the Spirit of Darkness." Logrolf said happily. I smiled, but quickly ran over to the arms dealer.  
"Arms Dealer! Why did you come ou? I told you stay at the village!" I said, trying not to cry."  
"I couldn't watch you be mauled by some mechanical demon. And as a thank you for everything you've done, I want you to have the minishark. It's the most valuable thing I have." The arms dealer choked. He didn't seem at all scared of dying.  
"Thank you. I'm sorry I couldn't help." I said, managing to stay calm.  
"Nah kid, there was nothing you could've done. Goodbye, Vald. Don't make me regret this." He said, forcing a laugh. He died with a smile on his face.  
Logrolf ran over to me, and put a hand on my shoulder.  
"He said it right buddy. There was nothing you could've done. You did everything you could by telling them to stay at home. Now we need to get back to the village- it's turning day, and we don't want them to get their hopes down." logrolf observed. I nodded in agreement, and as Guide caught up, we walked home, united as a team.


	11. Chapter 11: Assassin!

AN: Whoa! Reviews are just pouring in! It really means a lot to me!

Chapter 11: Assassin!

"And... well, that should be it. Just turn him on and he's ready to go. He has voice regognition programs, and will listen to voice commands." Steampunker said cheerfuly. I slid open a panel on the back of the now repaired Skeletron Prime and hit the green button that I assumed to be the "on" button. His eyes instantly turned on, and he flew up.  
"Follow me." I said, slightly unsure.  
"Initiating command "Follow me." Initiation complete." A slightly unsettling and crackly voice said. He certainly didn't seem to posses any emotion. I backed up and watched him follow me loyally. I kept walking, and he kept following, his eyes glued to me. I suddenly felt like experimenting.  
"Stayeth thee over there!" I said, trying not to laugh.  
"Initiating command "Stake bees over there." Initiation failed: unknown command." It said in a robotic monotone. I burst out laughing and fell to the floor, followed by guide. Logrolf just shook his head.  
"What's so funny?" He asked. Evidently he had worked with the robot for a while. I regained my composure and looked at the slightly offended steampunker.  
"You have to speak bloomin' normally for it to understand! It's not my fault!" She said indignantly, obviously not noticing the irony of the situation.  
"Ok ok..." I said, rolling my eyes. The steampunker stormed off, muttering. I snorted and turned to Skeletron prime.  
"Stay there." I said loudly.  
"Initiating command "Stay there." Initiation failed- more information is needed. Stay where?" It asked. I snarled.  
"Stay right where you are!" I shouted.  
"Proccesing information, "Stay bright bears you mars." No results found. Try again." It said. I was starting to think it was mocking me.  
"**Stay. There!**" I said, trying not to tell it to stop being stupid.  
"Proccesing information, "Stake bear." No results found. Try again." It said. I breathed in, and counted to ten.  
"Let me try!" Guide said, looking up at skeletron prime.  
"Please, would you stay exactly where you currently float and not move at all whatsoever." Guide said. I facepalmed.  
"Processing information, "Please stay exactly where you currently floating and not move at all whatsoever." Initiation complete. Now staying where I am." It said. I turned to guide in astonishment.  
"What!?" I screamed. He smiled smugly.  
"Are you a wizard?" Logrolf asked, staring at guide.  
"I'm a robot whisperer." He joked.

"Hello, everyone, please gather around at the center of the village." I said, sadness in my voice.  
"Lemme guess- some one died." Demolitionist said, frowning.  
"Well, you're right. Arms dealer, who we least expected to die, is gone. He died trying to help us fight Skeletron Prime, and he did not accomplish much. While we will all miss him dearly, let him serve as a silent reminder- bravery can lead to a foolish death. He did not need to die, and we'll make sure to show the Spirit of Darkness that when he's at the end of my sword." I said, trying not to let my voice waver. Nurse looked like she was about to burst into tears.  
"But, there is a good side to all this- we uncoruppted the A.I of Skeletron Prime, and he is now more than willing to aid us in our cause." I said, trying to act cheerful.  
"Are you saying that the Arms Dealer died in vain? I don't think so." Nurse said accusingly. Everyone turned to her, some muttering agreement, others shaking their heads.  
"Everyone! Calm down! Nurse, you are painting words on my toung. I never said any of that!" I said, trying not to role my eyes. But as everyone started talking again, I heard the whine of a bow and shriek of an arrow, and Clothier flew to the ground, an arrow in his side. Shrieks tore through the crowd, and people scattered. And before I knew what was going on, I was on the ground. I realized that I couldn't move at all, and I was losing my consciousness- the arrow I had been hit with was poisoned!


	12. Chapter 12: Dark Army

AN: I definitelly wasn't making fun of Siri in the last chapter! Obviously...

Chapter 12: Dark Army

When I woke up, I was in the nurse's house, right next to Clothier. I shook my head and jumped out of bed, not feeling the least bit of pain. The nurse rushed over to me.  
"Vald, Guide wants to see you. He said it was urgent, and that he wanted you as soon as you were up." Nurse said. I nodded and suddenly noticed I was without my armor. I felt weak.  
"Your sword and armor are in the chest in the corner." Nurse said hurriedly. I was starting to think she could read my mind. I put on the chestplate, then the leggings, then the boots, and rested the helmet on my head. I picked my sword up and sheathed it, and finally, slipped my cloak over my shoulders and clicked the wings into place. I ran out the door and flew over to Guide's house. I opened the door and barged in. Guide seemed not to care.  
"Hello." I said, seating myself.  
"Good morning. Please make yourself comfortable, because I have quite a bit to say to you." Guide said calmly. I shifted around in my seat, and threw my cloak to the ground.  
"First of all, let me ask, who shot that arrow?" I asked, resting my arm on the table. Guide shifted nervously.  
"Well... that was the lord of darkness himself. Or at least one of his messengers. It had a note attached." Guide said, rummaging through his pockets. He eventually produced a sheet of red paper. it smelled of dried blood, and I quickly realized it was dyed with it. I looked at the writing.  
_You were clever in capturing Skeletron Prime, but he was not the end of what I possess. Today at dusk, expect us. No light can defeat darkness...  
_I shuttered with recognition upon reading the last line. The horrible screech of the Eater of worlds as it burst from the ground, the sinking feeling of the wall of flesh rising up from the ash, and the brain of cthulu's last roar. No light could defeat darkness. Yet it did. And now, it could all be in vain. I clenched my fist and turned to Guide, whose head was bowed.  
"Light will triumph once again. We will be ready." I said confidently. "And you know what I think of this?" I asked rhetorically. Guide looked up. I slammed my sword through the paper, and watched blood spill all over the table. "What a bunch of hippy, dippy, _baloney._" I said, laughing heartily. Guide tried to suppress a laugh, but quickly joined me.  
"I was hoping you'd say something like that." Guide said, still smiling. I grabbed the paper, crumpled it, and opened the door. I spat on it and threw it, watching it bounce along the ground. I slammed the door and sat back down.  
"So, what else did you have to tell me?" I asked, dropping my smile. Guide took a deep breath.  
"The lord of darkness is gathering an army inside the dungeon. Skeletons, zombies, other undead freaks, tons and tons of crimson monsters, and maybe even an army of goblins. I think that the note was telling us that he was done gathering troops. Luckily, if any of these attack, the unicorns, gastropods and pixies will come running to our aid. They will ignore us at worst, and maybe even work with us at best." Guide answered. I frowned and stood up.  
"I have to go" I started, but guide shook his head.  
"Already done." Guide said. I sighed with relief and ran outside.  
"Where are you going?" Guide asked, chasing after me.  
"To Logrolf!" I said triumphantly. Guide seemed confused.

"_Pa Lak Dinok! Fo los druvaak! Las paz danuuk!" _Logrolf shouted, the strange chanting echoeing across the hallow. Unicorns turned around and snarled with anger, pixies began to buzz, and gastropods came filing from holes in the ground. Logrolf continued chanting until he had every last unicorn, pixie and gastropod circled around him. A few glowing swords that looked exactly like Logrolf's spun around in the air. I clenched my teeth.  
"Creatures of the hallow, hear me and gather, for I am here to anounce the attack of the lord of darkness, and release of his armies. All hope is not yet lost though- if you will follow us into battle, the hallow will live on. Will you aid us in our battle against the crimson?" Logrolf asked, looking around. The unicorns bowed their heads, and the pixies buzzed excitedly. The gastropods peeked out their heads from under their shells, smiling. Suddenly, a unicorn with a golden mane and tail emerged from the crowd, its blue eyes glowing brightly. It walked towards Logrolf, and nuzzled its head against him. "Ah. Sabior, my old friend. I suppose you will follow me into battle once more." Logrolf said happily. The unicorn nodded. Logrolf jumped onto his back. Guide and I looked at each other in amazement. I looked up at Logrolf, speechless.  
"What's going on?" Guide asked suddenly.  
"I don't entirely know, guide. I do know that I am reunited with an old friend, and that the creatures of the hallow will gladly follow us into battle." Logrolf said solemnly. Guide nodded, his gaze wandering to me. He turned his head slowly, and began to say something, but suddenly stopped. He raised his hand, and, with a gasp, pointed to the hills. My eyes widened and I saw the moon rising up. But as quickly as I saw it, it was gone. The sky began to grow darker and darker, and I realized with horror that the sky was utterly blocked by chimeria and other abominations. Some creatures I recognized from the corruptions flew this way and that, forming into a huge orb. Legions of skeletons with jagged weapons and unpolished armor covered the hills, flanked by an army of goblins wearing shining armor and carrying spears. And as I stared up, a huge, scaly white beast flew through the sky, carried by whatever magical forces kept it aloft. It circled around the orb of soul eaters, and a few more quickly followed.  
"Wyverns..." Guide said with horror. Logrolf Gaped at the skeptical. Suddenly, a hole opened in the orb, and a row of seemingly floating sets of glowing purple armor filed out on a quickly growing ramp of soul eaters. The sets of armor all had a light's bane at their side, and I suddenly noticed a dark aura where the head and hands should have been. In the middle of the strange aura that replaced the head were two glowing red eyes. And, after all of them had come out, one more thing came out. It was wearing a full set of strange glowing red armor and had a sweeping white cape. A visor completely blocked my view of his face. He had what looked like my sword, but with a green and purple aura flashing around it. As he reached the bottom of the ramp, he drew his sword. I stared at him. Something about him seemed familiar. All of his soldiers also drew theirs.  
"Who are you?" I asked, approaching him.  
"Who am I? Who are you to ask that question?" The figure said in a cold, grating voice. Guide shrunk back.  
"I am Vald, and I fight in the name of the spirit of light." I said, drawing my sword and brandishing it.  
"Ah. I have heard of you." He said in a strange tone. Logrolf rode over to me. The figure snarled and looked at Logrolf.  
"Logrolf..." It said in a voice dripping with hatred and menace. I stared at them.  
"It has been a long time since I saw you last, Dovan." Logrolf said. The red armored knight seemed to pause for a moment and lower his weapon. He quickly raised it again.  
"That name means _nothing _to me anymore. Nothing other than a weak fool." The figure said angrily.  
"Then you truly are lost. You saved the world from the corruption, yet you now fight alongside the lord of darkness to restore it. I can tell your power has grown. Yes, you are nearly equal to the lord of darkness. But you are not. Your anger and hatred seem to have taken you over, Dovan." Logrolf said sadly. Dovan snarled.  
"Don't call me that old man. I am not Dovan anymore." He shouted, his voice cracking.  
"Then what are you?" Logrolf asked calmly.  
"Stronger than YOU!" He shouted and swung his sword. A glowing purple after image slammed into Logrolf and sent him crashing to the ground. Dovan laughed darkly. I stared in horror. Suddenly, I shouted something and slammed my sword into him with such force that he flew several feet before smashing into the ground. All of the eater of souls backed away. Dovan coughed loudly and rose up. He threw his broken visor to the side and revealed his face- a face that I recognised. It was almost exactly like mine. I stared at him with an impossible to describe emotion. It was somewhere between horror and curiousity. A thousand questions were spinning through my head. Was Logrolf okay? Was this the first hero of Terraria? What was that sword? Where was the lord of darkness?  
I didn't dwell any longer on these, as Dovan quickly swung his sword, sending the spinning after image towards me. I rolled out of the way, and it disapeared when it hit the ground. I flew into the air and laned on top of him. He growled and tried to shake me off, but I managed to tackle him to the ground. I knocked his sword out of his hand and raised mine, but was suddenly smitten by a dark tendril, which flung me into the air. I hit the ground, but quickly stood back up, dusting myself off. Every part of my body stung, and I was wondering what the heck happened. Dovan was standing again, and his left hand was crackling with purple energy. I barely dodged a second dark tendril, which was closely followed by a few demon scythes. I ran towards him again, kicking his sword away before he could grab it. He backed up, and I mercilessly slammed my sword into his stomach. His armor dented and he screamed in pain. Suddenly, he produced a long red glaive, seemingly from nowhere, and held it with both hand. I ducked as he stabbed with it, though he caught on to my cloak. I threw off my cloak and flew into the air. He put the glaive away, and pulled out something that looked like the minishark, but bigger and darker. It released a huge amount of bullets, some of which tore through my armor. I yelped in pain as the glowing green bullets slammed into me, and I felt as if a horrible cursed fire was burning within me. I landed on the ground with a loud thump, my wings torn. I stood up and smashed my sword into Dovan's side. He flinched, though he ducked my next slice. He kicked me in the stomach, and I felt as if I had just been hit by a wrecking ball. It left a glowing purple stain on my armor. I suddenly had a bright idea and grabbed my minishark. I fired all of my bullets at him, laughing as I felt the immense power I was letting out of the gun barrel. They punched several holes in his armor, causing blood to stain the ground. He seemed momentarily surprised, but quickly sent a glowing bolt from his sword. It hit me in the stomach, and I fell on my back, writhing in pain. It hurt. I managed to stand up, but was quickly passed by Logrolf, riding his unicorn. He circled around Dovan, slashing at him with his sword whenever he could. Dovan cried out in agony and eventually fell to the ground, blood squirting everywhere.  
"I'm sorry." Logrolf said. But before he could bring his sword down on the ex hero, I slammed my sword into his neck. The forces of the corruption and crimson fell back. I quickly picked up his nearly ruined armor, and his gun. I hestitated and picked up the sword. I might need it. I turned towards the cloud of Corrupt forces, and they buzzed angrily. Then, they all started to close in. I pulled out the strange machine gun, which seemed to be loaded with plenty of bullets, and fired it off into the crowd. Within a few seconds, I had tore through a huge amount of them, and they were angry. I had just kicked a hornet's nest! They all flew forward, gnashing their pincers angrily. The gastropods began firing red lasers, and more of them popped from the ground. The unicorns charged forwards and stabbed their horns through anything that got to close. The pixies flew into the sky and struck with surprising power. Suddenly, many of the pixies began dropping from the sky, covered in golden liquid. Those things again! The culprits flew in and began firing bolts of ichor at the rebelious animals. They were falling left and right, and some larger sized eater of souls sucked in and fired bolts of disgusting looking spit, which seemed to make the victim much weaker and slower. Some dropped dead from the strain. As I looked around me, I saw that the previously undefeated gastropod forces were being crushed between the jaws of the dark beasts. Slime oozed from the dead gastropods and onto the floor, making it hard to walk around without stepping in their remains. The unicorns still stood proud, and I noticed we were starting to head towards the village.  
"Oh gosh..." I whispered. Guide and logrolf suddenly came to my side, Guide now mounted on a unicorn. We ran to the village, and I saw with relief that it was safe. However, the huge amount of the dark army that was left was starting to form into odd shapes- tunnels. Suddenly, hundreds of skeletons and goblins came running through the tunnels, and onto the battlefield. They quickly destroyed the remaining pixies with spearks, arrows, swords and axes, and got straight to work on the unicorns. They were followed by the purple sets of armor, all with swords drawn. I ran to the center of the village, and waited for the armies to come. As soon as the first group of skeletons and goblins came, I was already swinging my sword, slashing through several at once. Bone shattered, and green flesh and shining metal was torn as I leapt this way and that, though I was soon surounded. One of the suits of armor charged towards me, and I slashed at it. It blocked my blow and swung at me. I parried it, and ducked the next blow. I flew over him, and stabbed him through the back as he landed. He fell to the ground, lifeless. I pulled out my machine gun, and began firing bullets at the horde of skeletons around me. Suddenly, I saw that some of the skeletons were heading for the house. I flew over to them, but before I got there, they had already smashed down the walls of the goblin tinkerer and mechanic's house. I ran in to help them, and saw that the goblin tinkerer was shielding the mechanic from the onslaught of blows, using only a bar of metal. He was covered in cuts and bruises. I tried to reach him, but he suddenly fell with an axe in his side. Mechanic attempted to fight, but her wrench was snapped in half, and just as a skeleton wielding a sword began to swing down, I cut him in half. I was too late. The sword slammed into Mechanic's stomach. I felt like crying, but instead unleashed my fury on the skeletons in the house. By the end, Most of the house was gone, but all the skeletons near me were gone. I ran through the village, only to see all the houses I had built catching fire and crumbling. Inhabitants ran out, screaming, others not so lucky as to make it out. A hoarde of chimeria and soul eaters swarmed in, but all of them suddenly exploded, pieces flying everywhere. A jet of blue liquid was being sprayed everywhere, putting out fires and killing goblins, undead and chimeria. It seemed to heal nearby unicorns. I turned around, and saw steampunker, holding what looked like a flamethrower, and with a vat of blue liquid on her back. I gawked.  
"Behold! The clentaminator!" She shouted, holding up the device. She ran all over the village, doing about the same thing. I smiled. I was ready for whatever came next. Soon I was back to crushing skeletons and slaying goblins. Another suit of enchanted armor attacked me, but I sliced it in half without difficulty. Too easy.

"If anyone is alive, please come to the center of the village!" I shouted, motioning with my arms. I counted the people alive- there was steampunker, clothier, guide, Logrolf, and nurse. I nearly broke down in tears when I saw this. Almost everyone I knew was dead. I was about to say something, but was interrupted by a roar. I hoped the corruption forces hadn't already broken through the shield Logrolf had put around the village. As I turned around, one of the huge, white dragons swooped in and grabbed the clothier between its jaws. It shook him around and threw him to the ground. It let out another massive roar, and charged towards me. I growled and swung my sword, creating an ugly gash. I flew up and landed on its back, and I smashed my sword into it again. It roared and tried to shake me off. I pulled out a stick of dynamite, and held it at the ready. I cut a small hole in the beast, and lit the dynamite. I jumped off and watched its remains rain down in a shower of blood and ruined scale. It also left a light blue glowing orb in the sky, which I captured in my hand. As I did this, I was suddenly knocked down by an immense force. As I managed to stand up, a looming, dark figure stood beside me. He wore full spiked black battle armor, and a large black cape. He had a strange japanese fan-shaped item at his side, and a huge glowing orange sword.  
"Hello, Vald. I trust you won't disappoint me." He said. His voice boomed across the fields, and made me bow my head. I felt like there was no escaping him. So there was only one thing I could do.  
"I won't." I said, drawing my sword.  
AN: Oohh! Cliffhanger! Well, nice long chapter, just had to get that out...


	13. Chapter 13: Not So Final Battle

Chapter 13: Not so final battle.

"Good. Soon we will fight, and you will show me how much you have grown!" The spirit of darkness said solemnly. He put put his sword in the ground, and evidently wanted for me to do the same. I reluctantly followed. He raised his gauntlet, and a dark red book appeared. He opened it and stared directly at me. Then he looked down at the book.  
"Any battle between one of the two spirits and a human must be done in a tasteful fashion, and should adhere to these rules:  
First, the human shall deal the first blow. Second, the spirit in question shall use only their weapon of choice. The same goes for the human. Third, the spirit nor the human may not exit combat until the duel has ended. And last, no other person may intervene.  
With that said, now we can fight. Show me the taste of your blade." The spirit said. I did not know he had rules, and was very surprised that he expected to follow them.  
"Draw your blade first. I will not strike unless you have the chance to block." I said, trying to keep the fight from becoming unfair.  
"You do not disappoint me with your strange form of honor. I will oblige." The spirit of darkness said in a tone that almost sounded like satisfaction. The old blade disappeared completely, and he drew a cruel looking white blade which had not a single imperfection. It glowed a strange purple aura. It did not look altogether evil, just... dark.  
"This blade was forged in summerset woods by the greatest elven smiths in Terraria. Not even I know what it is made of, but it has had many owners. Some light, some dark." The spirit of darkness said, spinning the blade in his hand. I pulled my sword from the ground and swung it at him. He parried the blow and nearly disarmed me. As I raised my sword to strike again, he jumped in the air and brought his sword down on my head. Or so he would have if I hadn't knocked it aside at the last second. I grabbed my sword with both hands and swung it with all my strength. The spirit of Darkness ducked the blow, and I quickly dealt a second one, which he barely blocked. I stepped back and blocked an incredibly strong blow from his sword just in time. Before he could swing again, I kicked him in the chest and swung my sword down towards him. He rolled out of the way, kicking me in the shin at the same time. I growled in pain and walked towards him. We both looked at each other for a long time, neither of us making a move. Finally, I charged forwards, readying my sword. Bad idea. He laughed and hit me across the side with his sword. I tried to block his next attack, but he swung too fast. I was quickly brought to the floor, bleeding and bruised. He loomed over me. He almost said something, but I swung my sword at his legs. I created a huge gash in his right leg, cutting right through the armor. He didn't show any sign of pain. He also showed no sign of killing me. "Get up. I have better things to do than wait here all day." He said mockingly. He allowed me to stand, and I backed up.  
"You were a fool not to kill me." I snarled, suddenly slashing at his stomach. He growled furiously and doubled over, blood gushing from the wound.  
"I am bound by honor and tradition, mortal. You are not." He growled. I laughed and delivered a flurry of blows, only a couple of which he managed to block. I suddenly felt like I had the advantage. I suddenly noticed that when I hit him, I wasn't absorbing life. Weird.  
The spirit of Darkness coughed loudly. I smiled and waited for him to make a move. After ten minutes of waiting, I was wondering why he hadn't attacked. Suddenly, I noticed that all the wounds I had dealt... were _gone!_ This made me furious. More than furious. I charged forward, unable to control myself, and unleashed a series of blows so powerful and full of anger that the spirit of darkness himself fell to his knees. I put my sword at his neck. He made no move against me.  
"You have defeated me. Quite a feat for a mortal such as yourself." He coughed. I smiled and, with one stroke, sliced his head off. The armies of crimson and the undead all suddenly began to explode. The goblins screamed and fled over the hills, their shining armor glowing against the rising sun. And I stood over the body of my enemy, my sword stained in his blood. Claps and cheers rang around me, and, for the first time since the Dryad had died, I felt truly content. Guide rushed to my side, smiling happily. Logrolf followed, riding his unicorn. The remaining forces of the hallow gathered around, and I felt like a hero.  
But as our hopes rose, and Terraria seemed like such a great place to be, a dark voice boomed over the mountains.  
"You have defeated me, and I believe you have earned my blade. But I am not gone. No, I cannot be slain here. I am still bound by a crimson altar. We will meet again, Vald!" It said. I smiled.  
"And I'll be waiting!" I said, brandishing my sword. And with that, I walked over to the ruined village, and found that the houses were restored. Confused groans rang from every direction, and I suddenly noticed that I would have to see who was still alive. Maybe some people who I thought were killed were only buried alive, or trapped. With that in mind, I walked towards my village, and vowed to destroy the spirit of Darkness once and for all.


	14. Chapter 14: Wizard

AN: I've had this chapter ready for a while, but a massive writer's block resulting from the death of a friend resulted in me not writing or posting anything for a while. Anyways, here's the chapter!

Chapter 14: Wizard

Meanwhile, deep in the dungeon:

The wizard walked across the stone floor of the dungeon, his footsteps echoing. He held his gold and ruby staff in front of him, letting it cast a red glow across the hall. He knew that the spirit of Darkness was down there somewhere, but he could not see where. No, not even the wisest could. He was hiding himself well, but the wizard knew he would be coming face to face with him today. They would have a battle of wills, and one would break. A hero had defeated him, but his spirit lurked within the dungeon. One crimson alter remained, and he knew he could not slay him. He was simply delaying the inevitable. He did not want him to return to his Earthly form just yet.  
As he thought about all these things, he nearly bumped into a pair of huge metal doors. They were ornamented with rows of black spikes. He knew that this was it. He twirled his staff around and unleashed a red gust of air, which blew open the doors. As he stepped inside the room, he saw that it was eerily lit by red torches, and skeletons hung from the walls. At the very back of the room was a spiked black throne, and on it sat a glowing purple entity.  
"We meet again, Xyvaren!" The wizard said loudly, smashing his staff against the ground. Xyvaren laughed coldly.  
"Wizard, if it isn't you. You are too late. I am back already, and now not even you can stop me. Behold my power!" He said, his voice smooth and dark. He stood up, and with a sweep of his hand, all the skeletons on the wall suddenly broke free of their chains. They stood up and lumbered towards the wizard, picking up rusted weapons off the slightly wet floor. The wiard pointed his staff towards the advancing hoard, and, with a pretentious twirl of his staff, blew them all into the wall. Bones shattered and weapons broke.  
"If you really knew me, you'd know that a few skeletons can't stop me." The wizard laughed. He walked towards the Xyvaren, but was suddenly thrown off his feet. He hit the ground with a loud thump, and slid a few feet. Xyvaren was now holding a black staff with a strange purple triangle at the top. "The shadowbeam staff..." The wizard mumbled. He stood up, blood running from his nose. He threw off his cape and drew his sword, charging forwards. Xyvaren fired a bolt of dark energy towards the Wixard, but missed. It bounced around the dungeon, and eventually faded away. He fired again, this time a bolt burning a hole through the wizard's hat. The wizard aproached calmly, standing face to face with the dread lord himself.  
"Foolish wizard. You cannot withstand my power!" Xyvaren said steadily. The wizard suddenly stabbed Xyvaren with his sword, and blasted him off with his staff. Xyvaren leapt up, ignoring his injury. He blasted the wizard off his feet and sent him crashing against the wall. He wiped some of the blood from his forehead and knocked Xyvaren to the ground. They continued throwing eachother across the room, neither side seeming to have the upper hand. That is until Xyvaren caught the Wizard's staff. He laughed and smashed the wizard into the ceiling. He was now covered in cuts and bruises.  
"Is there nothing you are capable of, wizard?" Xyvaren laughed. The wizard barely dodged another purple beam. But even without his staff, he wasn't powerless. He held in his hand an ancient spellbook, from which he released volleys of cursed fire. One happened to land on the wizards staff, which knocked it from Xyvaren's hand. He grabbed it and fired a red beam towards Xyvaren. It burned a hole through his black armor, and sent him crashing against his throne. It shattered, and the pieces scattered across the room. But as the wizard rose his staff up to finish Xyvaren for the time being, he was suddenly hit in the eyes by a blindingly bright and hot beam. The wizard cried out and fell to the ground. He could barely see, though he could easily discern the looming outline of Xyvaren. He coughed and backed up, waiting for the lord of darkness to kill him. But he didn't. Xyvaren summoned a coil of glowing red rope.  
"Ah, you're going to tie me down while I'm weak, are you? Coward!" The wizard coughed. Xyvaren chuckled and tied the wizard up, the wizard growling and protesting the whole time. Once he was done, he pulled a strange purple potion from his pocket.  
"This will probably put you in a lava filled cavern or other hazardous area. Prepare to die." Xyvaren said coldy, pouring the potion down the wizard's throat. His vision blurred further, and eventually turned to black.


	15. Chapter 15: Bound Mage

AN: Another chapter I wrote a while ago. I'm working on chapter 16.

Chapter 15: Bound Wizard

It had been a day since the invasion. I found that the only people who died during the fight were the demolitionist and clothier. The nurse was able to save the lives of the rest of the injured.  
"So, how's everyone doing?" I asked the nurse as I walked into the currently full hospital.  
"The Mechanic is all better, and she's still gushing about how brave the goblin tinkerer was. Everyone else is still in critical condition. I expect them all to make a full recovery, however." The nurse said, looking down at her clipboard. I grinned and walked outside, My new sword at my side. I had given night's edge to Guide. I had gotten steampunker to fashion me a sheath for my sword, made of what we could salvage from the ruined armor of Dovan. Since it seemed tougher than my current armor, I was somewhat sad that it couldn't be used, but glad that I had a sheath to put my sword in. I suspected that anything less than whatever that substance was (I think guide said it was adamantite) would be cut through insantly. It was not a full sheath, as I knew that the sword would simply poke through the bottom. It was a sort of tube, though it fit the shape of my sword perfectly. The sword itself now glowed with a light blue aura on one side, and a red aura on the other, a silent reminder of my neutral alignment.

"Hey, Vald, I found something you might want to look at!" Logrolf shouted. We were deep underground, and I was searching for some materials to make Guide armor. I ran over to him, and saw a faint red glow through a large crack in the stone.  
"What is it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"I don't know. Let's check it out." Logrolf said. I mined through a bit of stone, and found myself looking into a large cavern. In the middle was a person, tied up in glowing red rope.  
"Need some help?" I asked sarcastically. The man nodded. I walked over to him and found he was wearing a purple wizard robe, and a similair hat. He had a long gray beard that nearly reached his waist. Logrolf walked over as well.  
"Are you going to free already!? Get too it!" The strange man coughed. Logrolf sighed and drew Excalibur. He brought it down on the rope, and it simply bounced off the rope.  
"Surely this rope isn't invincible?" Logrolf muttered.  
"No, it isn't, however, only a weapon wrought by the elves can destroy it. And don't call me Shirley." The wizard said sadly.  
"Weapon wrought by the elves..." I thought. Suddenly, I pulled out my sword.  
"Dal Galduur... that sword was made before recorded time in the forges of the wind elves who imbued all of their fury and hatred towards the corruption into it. There are stories that say the elves of summerset created it, but such a blade could not be made by wood elves. No, only the wind elves can create a blade of that quality" The wizard said, staring at my sword.  
"I earned it from the Spirit of Darkness in honorable battle. And surely it will be able to cut through the rope that binds you." I said.  
"It will. And stop calling me Shirley." The wizard retorted. I felt like smacking him across the face. Instead, I settled for severing the rope that bound him. He stood up and stretched.  
"So, what's your story?" I asked.  
"I went to the dungeon to try and delay the reforming of Xyvaren, who you call the spirit of darkness. I was too late, and he defeated me in a duel. But instead of killing me, he half blinded me and made me gulp down a teleportation potion. It threw me in here, and I suppose you saved me. Thank you." He said thoughtfully.  
"All in a day's work!" I said cheerfuly, "Anyways, there's an empty house at my village. I guess you can set up there." The wizard smiled.  
"Thank you again. I guess I owe you something, don't I? Well, I suppose you can have this mythril anvil that I made long ago. I have no use for it. You, however, do." The wizard said. He handed me a large, heavy, green anvil. I put it into my bag, and thanked him.  
"Well, I guess we'd better go up to the surface. Glad to meet you!" I said.

"Vald, I think you have enough hallowed bars to create a set of hallowed armor. Hallowed armor can not be punched through even by the strongest of swords or arrows." Guide said, smiling. I had all of my hallowed bars in a pile next to the mythril anvil, and I saw lots of things I could make. I didn't need a sword, I already had possibly the greatest sword in existence. I saw a useful looking pickaxe, but I decided to save that for once I had made the armor. I grabbed a small, adamantite hammer I had forged from the excess adamantite, and a dozen or so hallowed bars. I quickly got to work smashing the hallowed bars together, occasionaly, I would step back and observe my work. Sometimes, I would have to heat a few bars in the hellforge next to me.  
After almost an hour of looking at the template and forging the hallowed bars, I had made myself a pair of boots, leggings, and a chestplate. Now, I had a choice of three helmets. One that seemed to sparkle with magic, but looked weak and akward to wear. The next one had dials and crosshairs, and seemed like it would improve my ranged capabilites. Unfortunately, it looked weaker than my current helmet. The last helmet had a full mask and a large white plume. It seemed to be even stronger than the chestplate, and I decided it was probably for the same kind of warrior as me- a swordsman. So, after a small amount of time, I forged the strongest helmet. I couldn't help but admire the set of armor.  
"Good work Vald." Guide said, whistling.  
"Thanks." I said. I slipped off my current armor, and donned the hallowed armor. I immediatly felt stronger than ever before. The visor allowed for me to see almost as if it weren't there, and so lifting it was unnecasary.  
"Now, you're ready. Fit your wings on the back, and take it for a spin!" The guide said. I smiled and clicked the wings into place. I was certainly having a good day.


	16. Chapter 16: Hunt For the Crimson Alter

AN: Sorry for the long wait! Been busy with a challenge to write a 20000 word novel by the end of November. Enjoy!

Chapter 16: Hunt for the Crimson Alter

It was the break of dawn. The warm light of the sun poured through the window and flooded my room, splashing across every surface. I yawned and rolled over in my bed. I hadn't felt so tired in a long time, and I felt like falling back to sleep. But I had a duty to fulfill, and I could not abandon it for a little extra sleep. I grudgingly stepped out of bed and slipped on my armor, which felt heavier than normal. I picked up my sword and went outside, feeling every inch weaker than the day before. I trudged to the center of the village, where a bedraggled looking guide stood, looking as if he was struggling to stand up. Logrolf stood next to him, slouching a bit. Even Nurse looked sick and tired.

"Vald, you look awful. What's going on?" Guide inquired.  
"Obviously you need a mirror. Something's wrong here guys," I said, my voice cracking a bit. I looked up. The sky had a red haze about it, though it was barely noticable.  
"I can't explain this. I think it has something to do with our mission. There's no doubt that Xyvaren knows we're setting out for the last crimson alter today, so I conclude that this is some sort of poison. Let us go see if Wizard knows anything about this," Logrolf said.  
When we arrived at the wizard's house, he appeared to be affected by the posion as well.  
"Do you have any light to shed on this, Wizard?" I asked.  
"Xyvaren has released the crimson at its most powerful. Within a week, this whole village will be swallowed up by crimson. We have to destroy the last alter!" The wizard said, coughing a bit.  
"So... should we set off now?" Logrolf asked.  
"No, I'd thought we would sit around and have a nice tea party! Of course we're setting off! Pack some supplies and get moving. Wizard, you gonna come?" I asked.  
"Yes, I believe I shall. Let me gather my scrolls and magical items," the wizard said.  
We set off around noon- Guide, Wizard, Nurse and Logrolf would be accompanying me.  
"Now, everyone, swords drawn, eyes sharp. We're going into the single most dangerous place on Terraria. We might not all be coming home in one piece. Remember: Eyes on the prey, not the horizon," I said, walking with one hand behind my back and with my sword hangning loosely in my hand. And so we were off, walking through towards the red area of the world. We walked without break until the sun began to set, at which point I built a large wooden house and layed out the bedrolls I had brought. The wizard helped us set up a fire, and we all sat around it, wary of our surroundings.

"So... remember when we first met? When I was being kind of a jerk and making you flip out over torches?" Guide asked, staring into the fire.  
"Yeah... that seems like so long ago. Those were the good days- back when we didn't have to worry about saving the world or anything. Back when you could best me in a sword duel. Back before all this... Man, I miss those days," I responded wistfully, gently prodding the fire with the tip of my sword."Yes, I do too. Too much has happened between then and now for me to really make sense of it all," Guide muttered.  
"Well... I suppose we should get some sleep. We should be ready for whatever trouble rears its ugly head tommorow," I concluded. Guide agreed. We put out the fire, and attempted to get comfortable. It wasn't easy though. I had too much on my mind to sleep much. And when I woke up in the morning, after a couple hours of uneasy sleep, I felt guilty that I hadn't been doing anything during that time. I woke up the party and we set off again, and soon we entered the dreaded crimson.  
It was almost just as I remembered it. Plants that resembled gory remains of strange creatures dotted the landscape, occasionaly letting out a gush of blood. The red leaves of the trees writhed and waved as if blown by the wind, though there was none. And to top it all off, the entrance to the main cave was guarded by countless beasts of the crimson, many of which I had never seen before. There were writhing massess of tentacles creeping along the ground, and some deformed looking zombies with a single eyeball which looked as if it had been shoved in through a jagged hole.  
"Alright team- no use trying to sneak in. On the count of three, charge!" I whispered. "One." Everyone raised their weapons. "Two." The team stared intensely at the entrance. "Three!"


	17. Chapter 17: What I've Become

Chapter 17: What I've Become

The battle which followed could hardly be called a battle. It was primarily discordant screeches, blades tearing through red flesh, and pincers snapping.  
I was the first to reach the enemies. My blade sheared through theme like a crossbow bolt through wet toilet paper. Crimson and golden blood showered down on me, and clung about me like a great, gory coat. Projectiles fired from the enemies bounced off my hallowed armor, or splattered uselessly against it.

Then, it happened. I watched in horror as the nurse crashed to the ground, a giant hole seared through her midsection. I lost all reasoning and just stood there as the battle went on around me. I became oblivious to the crashes and splatters. I just stared at the spot where the nurse fell, thinking of all the times she had brought me back from near death. Now they were over. I'd never be able to speak with them again. Hopelessness gripped my heart, and my sword tumbled out of my hand, and clattered to the ground. An area in my chest which I was vaguely aware was near my heart was burning with horror.

Then there was a new emotion that sprang to my mind: fury. They had just ended Nurse's life. I picked up my sword. They had just killed the team healer. I flipped down my visor, and my vision was clouded with crimson red liquid. They had just slew the most innocent and kind person in Terraria remorselessly. I rushed into battle, not caring about the consequences. I let out a sound which sounded barely human and swung my sword insanely, shearing through anything that moved. I saw the world in red. I ignored the pincers which managed to get through my armor, ignored the terrible pain. The blood and ichor which splattered against my armor felt no different from air.

Apparently, I also lost all control. Nothing was safe before me. _Nothing. _At some point in my made spree, my sword was blocked. I threw the owner of whoever blocked my blow to the ground, letting out a long cry.

"VALD! STOP!" Someone screamed. I was thrown to the ground. My helmet rolled off, and I looked at what I had done. There was a huge field of monsters that lay dead because of me. Twitching corpses lay in mangled heaps around me. Guide laid on the ground with a cut that looked eerily sword made running across his chest, and the wizard and Logrolf stared at me, horrified.

"What were you doing!?" the wizard shouted angrily.  
"You nearly killed us all! You didn't even care when you cut through guide then slammed me into the ground!" Logrolf said, clutching his bleeding leg. My heart sank as I returned to reality."I- I don't know. Oh God what is wrong with me!? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME!?" I cried. I was turning into something just as bad as the crimson. "Maybe worse," I thought tearfully.  
"I... Vald. I don't know. But whatever you did there, I think it has to do with the crimson. I think we're getting close to the last demon alter," Logrolf said.  
"No! I don't care! This is all my fault! What is wrong with me!? Something is wrong with me! I don't know why I bothered with this anyways. I'm just going to kill the whole team," I sobbed. "Leave me here. Do it yourselves. I'm just gonna hurt you guys," I muttered. I then fell into a heap and sobbed for a long time. What had I become?


	18. Chapter 18: No

Chapter 18: No.

I am the roar which scars his soul when it sounds. I am the Brain, the eye, the skull, the wall, and the worm. I am everything which has ever haunted him. I am the spirit of darkness who resonates in every monster, and who slowly makes the world shrivel. Everything which lives is my enemy, and I will treat it as such. I

I have driven him to slay his own guide. His spirit will crumble, and he will be a soulless husk of what he once was.

Die Vald, Die.

I had never seen it rain in the crimson. I wish I never did. I wish I never did any of this. This is all my fault.

Rain in the crimson is a disgusting mix of blood and pus. It sticks to you and doesn't dry off.

I couldn't believe I did all this. I just ungratefully murdered my own guide, after everything that he'd done for me. I couldn't believe myself.

Nurse's death was my fault too. I should've known not to make the healer come along. We could've managed on healing potions!

God, I was stupid.

"Calm down Vald. What just happened was bad, but you've got to keep moving forward. For God's sake, you're the hero of Terraria!" Logrolf said, urging me to follow him.

"Some hero I am. Killing my own guide..." I said bitterly.

"Vald! You can't blame yourself for this! This was-" The Wizard started.

"No. Just no," I said grimly.

I could believe it but I couldn't. I knew Guide was dead, but wanted to think that it would return to normal. But I couldn't.

Everything I'd ever heard about the death of someone who you held very close was a lie. There was no stage of disbelief or whatever- It just struck me very hard.

Guide was the one who had led me through all this- the one whose story stuck closely by mine, and ended because of it.

I had a story to write without him by my side now. I had a story to finish without him as my guide. Now he'd never be there for me again. Never there to tell me when I was doing something wrong- never there to be my teacher. Never again would he be there to comfort me in times of sorrow. He'd never lead me through another difficult obstacle again. His encyclopedic knowledge of everything in Terraria was lost to me.

So many never agains. And each one I thought of was a new problem. His death as a whole wasn't one problem I could get over all at once- like forgetting a dollar on the table. His death was many problems, and I'd have to overcome them all seperately.

This was all too much. I didn't want to talk anymore. I didn't want to think anymore. I wanted to run from my problems. Maybe if I could remove myself from the source of the problems, I could lose them.

No. I was stuck with them. And I had to solve them alone.

No. Not alone. I had two friends who were trying to help me solve my problems, and I was ignoring them.

"Fine. We march now. We're going into the cave," I said coldly.

"Alright, one second-" Logrolf started.

"No Talking!" I snapped, "From now on, we march in silence."

"What about casting spells?" the wizard asked.

"Cast them quietly! Maybe if we had been sneakier rather than charging in, none of this would've happened," I replied angrily. We entered the cave in complete silence, Logrolf and the Wizard giving each other uncomfortable glances.

"Ow! I think I just stubbed my toe!" Logrolf muttered as he hit his foot on a small and sharp rock.

"SHUT UP! I Already said, no talking, no making noises, and most of all-" I started. Suddenly, there was a loud pop, and a large, cloaked figure appeared in front of us. "... no complaining," I finished weakly.


	19. Chapter 19: Unexpected

Chapter 19: Unexpected

"Hello, Vald," the creature said coldly.  
"Y-YOU!?" I choked.  
"Hello, Vald," he repeated, amused.  
"Attack him! Kill him!" I shouted. I drew my sword and slashed him across the chest with it. "Xyvaren, I should have known!" I shouted. I stabbed him through the chest and twisted my sword. He laughed and drew two molten hamaxes. "Ha! My those two twigs can't cut through my armor!" I shouted.  
"Really? Let's find out," He replied. He brought the two blunt ends down on my sides, crushing my armor in.  
"Can't- hgck! Can't breath..." I muttered as I fell on the ground. The wizard and Logrolf instantly charged forward.  
"Implode," Xyvaren said mildly. The wizard's form was suddenly distorted.  
"What the-" his form distorted more, before collapsing on itself in a shower of cloth, and blood. Undeterred, Logrolf kept charging, before stabbing Excalibur through Xyvaren.  
"ARRGHH!" He screamed, before sticking a molten hamaxe in Logrolf's chest.  
I struggled up.  
"You- YOU MURDERER! DIE!" I shouted, struggling to my feet. I picked up Excalibur and held it in my right hand, while holding my sword in my left. I flew up and brought them both down on his head. He grabbed me by the leg and threw me into a wall. I dropped both my swords on the ground.  
Xyvaren walked over, holding his molten hamaxes above his head. As he was about to bring them down on me, A sharp rock stabbed through the back of Xyvaren and came out the front, spraying blood all over me.

I took the chance to grab the swords I dropped, and stab them both through Xyvaren's gut. Xyvaren let out a bloodcurdling cry.  
"Thanks Logrolf!" I shouted.  
"Thank yous can wait. Toss me my sword!" He shouted. I threw him excalibur, which he stabbed through Xyvaren's leg. He ignored the wound, and charged directly at me, pulling Excalibur out of Logrolf's hand and breaking his wrist. I raised my sword in defense, but he cut straight through it, chopping the entire top half off.

At that point, several things happened.  
1: An explosion of light shot from the broken stub of the blade.  
2: Xyvaren fell onto the ground.  
3: The cave began shaking, throwing me off my feet.  
4: A flickering image of a crimson alter appeared in front of me, before suddenly disappearing.  
5: Xyvaren began disintegrating, starting at his feet.I grabbed Logrolf and and began running towards the cave entrance. Suddenly, something gripped my ankle. I was pulled to the ground and hoisted up.

"**I will not die!" **A horrid voice (which strangely reminded me of a pickaxe tearing through through ore) shrieked.  
"TO HELL WITH YOU!" I shouted, "I've killed you once already, now just stay down!"  
"**Die Vald, Die!**" It screamed. It slammed me into the ground. I looked up at it with half closed eyes. It was a black mass of mist with no definite shape.

It descended on me. I was powerless. I was finally defeated.  
After all this time, all this effort, I was sitting in a corner, battered and dying, with no weapon at all.  
Through the cloud of darkness, I could very faintly see Logrolf swinging his Excalibur at it, to no effect.  
I closed my eyes and braced myself.

Suddenly, I felt a cold touch against my chest, through my armor. I opened one eye. I saw a black tendril going through one side of me and out the other.  
I screamed as I felt a horrible wrenching feeling in my stomach. I felt as though my very soul were disappearing.  
Negative emotions clouded my mind, without any definite reason or source.

As quickly as it started, it was over. I opened my eyes completely.  
What I saw was strange. I had never seen anything like it. A ray golden light was zipping through the cloud of darkness, causing it to let out shrieks of pain.  
Within a few seconds, he half disintegrated body of Xyvaren flew out of the cloud, and the cloud dispersed. The ray of golden light struck the ground next to Xyvaren and formed into a human shape. They wore golden armor and carried a long golden sword.  
I had never seen them before, yet they seemed familiar.

"Dryad?" I struggled out.  
"Ah. A name I have not been called for a long time now. Or perhaps it has been only a few months? I know not," She said.  
"I thought you were slain!" I shouted, "and that it was necessary!"  
"I was. And I lied. I shall explain later, when I have a better bearing on what has been happening." she said. She turned her attention to Xyvaren. "I see you defeated Vald. Surprising, really. But it matters little now," She said.  
"Fool. You terrible fool. I destroyed you. Leave, spirit," Xyvaren struggled out. How he was still alive, I didn't know. His bottom half was gone, and all that remained of it was a withered skeleton.  
"I may be weakened, but I am still a match for you. Your power has fled," Dryad said calmly.  
"I still have one crimson alter," Xyvaren choked.  
"It is very close to shattering." Dryad said.  
"**Yes. And you will disappear with it!**" Xyvaren shouted in a voice that was not his own. In front of him, a crimson alter which was covered in cracks appeared.  
Instantly, Dryad rushed forward. She swung her sword at it, but it simply fazed through it.

"Vald! Only a player can destroy the alter! Destroy it!" Dryad shouted.  
"If you destroy the alter, The spirit of light disappears with it," Xyvaren said, smirking.  
"But he will disappear too! We shall be freed from the corruption forever!" Dryad shouted.  
"But not before every living thing in the world is slain," Xyvaren said desperately.  
"He lies!" The Dryad screamed.  
"I... I- I don't know-" I started.

Suddenly, a hammer came flying towards me. I instinctively knocked it out of the air. It flew several feet before landing lightly on the crimson alter.  
It shattered, and the room was filled with a blinding red light.


	20. Chapter 20: Purity

Chapter 20: Purity

From the remains of the crimson alter appeared a large, colorless circle. It seemed out of place- it was two dimensional almost. It was there, but not. It wasn't opaque, nor transparent.  
Terraria was a world of strange things. Oddities, and shadows. Yet this topped them all.  
Xyvaren stared into it with horror. HI mouth opened, but no sound came out. He was stretched and twisted, before being shredded to pieces and sucked through the circle.  
Dryad soon met the same fate as Xyvaren, sucked through the circle. She maintained an air of dignity as she was destroyed.  
The second the last remains of dryad and Xyvaren were pulled through the circle vanished. It disappeared. It was there, then it wasn't.  
Lying in the shattered pieces of the crimson alter was Logrolf. The hammer which smashed the crimson alter lay beside him.  
"Thank you Logrolf. I do not think I could have made that decision without you," I said, kneeling next to him.  
"I need no thanks. I am happy to have helped. But now I must pay the price for what I did," Logrolf said.  
"What do you mean?" I asked.  
"That was your decision. I made it for you. Nothing can save me from the grips of death now, for I have exploited the rules of the universe, which say that only a player can destroy a crimson alter," Logrolf replied. The strength in his voice ebbed as he spoke.  
"If that is so, then rest knowing you saved Terraria," I said sadly.  
He smiled one last time.  
"Goodbye, Vald," he said. He closed his eyes and fell limp.  
As he died, a ray of sunlight shone through the cave opening and onto the floor. The rocks around me slowly changed to a natural gray color, and the patches of grass became green.  
I removed my helmet, and dropped it on the ground.  
I left the cave and beheld a beautiful sight- purity.  
It almost reminded me of Earth. How the sun shone on the grass, and the trees blew gently. I heard the chirping of birds, and the gentle flowing of a stream of water.  
I had done this. I had achieved Purity. Terraria was saved, and I was responsible.


	21. Epilogue and Afterword

Epilogue

It was a rainy afternoon in the elven forest. The red sunset shone through the clouds and leaves.

I and several hundred elves stood around three caskets, which had just been lowered into the ground.

"With every wonder comes an evil. With every good comes a bad. Today we honor the four who died to save Terraria. Today we honor the hero's guide, the nurse, the wizard, and the legendary Logrolf. They all lost their lives in the final hours before Terraria was saved. Let us remember them by the sacrifice they made, and their role in the salvation of Terraria!" the high priest of the elven gods said solemnly. "And now let us pray that their souls rest in peace, and that their sacrifices are honored in the afterlife."

All the elves bowed at once. The only sound was that of the rain splashing against the ground, and the wind blowing through the trees. I hoped their sacrifices would never be forgotten.

When I finally returned to the village, I noticed that the land was no longer hallowed. It was pure, free of corruption or hallow.  
The villagers greeted me with open arms and laughs. There might not have been a lot of us left, but we were still a village.  
Soon, some citizens from the elven forest began moving in, drawn in by the tales of the man who founded it. A weaponsmith, a crafter of explosives, an honest merchant, a powerful spellcaster, a renowned healer, and a peaceful druid.

No one ever did come in place of Guide. The cloest we had was a prodigious young scholar who moved in to study the many magical items I had acquired. She'd occasionaly give me a little advice, but never like Guide.  
All I can say about that is that no one will ever replace Guide. It takes a special kind of person to do that kind of work. The kind of work you aren't credited for, the kind you're never paid for. The kind where you're death isn't likely, _it's inevitable. _And hey, with the hero always upstaging you, you don't get much time to shine. I think my Guide might have been the only person ever to be cut out for that...

The End.

Vald's story is over now. It's been a lot of fun writing it, and while I've had my doubts, it all came out good in the end. So thanks for all the support- it was part of what kept me writing this!

While Vald's adventure through Terraria has ended, the story of Terraria has just begun. I'm not done with fanfiction, nor will I be any time soon.  
In other words, while this story is over, I'll be writing more. I doubt Vald will get be getting much more time in the spotlight, but you'll probably be seeing some familiar faces in my fanfictions to come.

I hope you enjoyed the story. Happy writing!


End file.
